Dear any readers still out there,
Hello!
It's been a long time since I've posted here. This was once a very cherished blog that I enjoyed spending a lot of time on. Unfortunately, when I went away to University (to learn how to write my own novels and to fall in love with poetry) I had little time to keep this blog up and running.
I graduated from University last summer. It was the best few years of my life and I learnt so much about writing and novels. Because of what I now know, I feel as though my reviews would be drastically different to before.
I've spent the last year of my life working as a Mental Health/Learning Disability Support Worker, which has also taught me a great deal.
So, to all readers, writers and friends seeing this post, feel free to get in contact. I'm open to reviews once more and would especially love to add poetry to those.
To check out my own published poetry, follow this link: https://sheilanagigblog.com/sheila-na-gig-online-1-3-spring-2017/maryann-nixon/
Hope to hear from you soon,
Mazz
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth
Title: Allegiant
Book: #3
Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: Dystopian
Goodread's description:
The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.
But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.
Review
This is a long due review, but if you are one of the few that has not read the Divergent series yet, maybe this will encourage you. If you follow my blog, you'll know I'm a huge fan of the Divergent series and the dystopian genre in general; but that I hate when a series comes to an end.
Allegiant is the last book in the best selling, young-adult dystopian trilogy. Although, I waited to read the book because I was denying that the series must end, Allegiant doesn't leave you feeling like there should be more to tell. It is a wholesome story and ends in the most logical and ethical way, under the circumstances.
A lot of new information is given about the story, which changes how you look upon the world and the characters within it. In other reviews I have seen that some readers do not like the changes within this book but I agree with how Veronica handled the story. She managed to create a world so abstract to the one we live in and make it flawlessly believable.
Although there is less action than the former books, as a reader you are compelled to read on for more information to understand the whole truth of their world. A stronger focus is put onto the relationship between Tris and Tobias, that suffers a lot due to the drastic changes in their world and environment.
Allegiant tackles the disputes between families, overcoming differences and genetic boundaries. This is where young readers can learn a lot from how the characters handle these situations.
The story is laced with betrayal as the characters discover each layer of lies that they have been brought up to live by. We experience this along with the characters and it makes us wonder if we too are being controlled by society or a higher power.
The enemies that were established in book #1 and #2 seem minor compared to the real enemies which are revealed in Allegiant. The world expands and seems scarier and bigger than ever before and the characters begin to crave the isolation they fought against in the beginning.
Tris continues to resemble a strong female character in the series that is selfless, brave and most importantly human. She is a great character for young adults to read, relate to and aspire towards.
Roth resolves the ending by sacrificing a huge part of the series, and I think it works, but others may find this ending heart breaking and wrong. It is a lesson to learn that things must be sacrificed and changed for a better outcome.
Wednesday, April 09, 2014
'ASK ME' Blog Tour Stop: Guest Post by Kimberly Pauly
Please welcome Kimberly Pauly to the blog today!
As part of her new book's blog tour, today we feature a guest post from her.
Kimberly Pauley is the award-winning author of Sucks to Be Me, which was
honored on the YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers list, and a paranormal
mystery starring an oracle, called Ask Me.
Born in California, she has lived everywhere from Florida to Chicago and has
now gone international to live in London with her husband and son. She is also
the founder of YA Books Central, one of the first and largest teen book
websites in the world.
Visit her online at www.kimberlypauley.com
Today, Kimberly has written a guest post about who she would cast as Will!
Today, Kimberly has written a guest post about who she would cast as Will!
Will from ASK ME is 18 and you could call him the King of the School. That doesn’t mean everything’s perfect for him, of course, though on the outside people definitely assume that he’s got everything going for him. He’s middle height, blondish hair, blue-eyed, and has a slim build. You know, kind of the classic American good looking kid.
The inspiration picture I have pinned on Pinterest for him (there are a few, but this was the main one) is of actor Christopher Atkins of Blue Lagoon fame. But, strangely enough given that the other main boy character in the book is named Alex, the two current day actors I can picture playing Will are Alex Black and Alex Pettyfer (though Alex P. might be a little tall for Will).
They’ve both got the right hair and the right eyes -- intense eyes! Charming smiles, but also the ability to look really serious. And, perhaps most importantly, they always look at ease with themselves. Confident. Because Will has that air of being in the know, of being in charge.
Thanks very much to Kimberly for stopping by at Words on the Shelf today. It was a pleasure to have you!
Good luck with the rest of the tour.
To find out more visit her pages:
Sunday, April 06, 2014
Sunday 30th Divergent Premiere Review!
Hey guys,
Sorry this is a week late, I'm up to my neck in University work. But only a week left until Easter break! But I would really like to share this amazing experience with you and if you couldn't make it I hope you're not too jealous, because you've probably been and watched it by now. If you have let me know your thoughts.
Premiere Review
Those of us
who had tickets to the premiere of the movie walked the red carpet with the
actors (but unfortunately were unable to meet them) to get into the cinema. Here is our awesome walking-red-carpet-seflie:
Sorry this is a week late, I'm up to my neck in University work. But only a week left until Easter break! But I would really like to share this amazing experience with you and if you couldn't make it I hope you're not too jealous, because you've probably been and watched it by now. If you have let me know your thoughts.
Premiere Review
On Sunday 30th March, I attended the premiere of
the Divergent movie. As a reviewer
for Harper Collins, who publishes the novels of the Divergent series, I was given two free tickets to the movie. (HUGE THANK YOU HARPER COLLINS. LOVE YOU FOREVER)
Divergent, (as many of you will know) is a film adaptation of
Veronica Roth’s dystopian novel that was released in 2011. To my biggest delight, Veronica was present
on the red carpet, wearing a stunning black dress. Joining her at the premiere were
the stars of the movie Theo James, Shailene Woodley, Ben Lloyd-Hughes and Kate
Winslet. Hmmm Theo is dreamy and Shailene is the definition of gorgeous. Shailene is also the star of the soon to be released and highly
anticipated The Fault in our Stars, (fan girls) adapted from John Green’s best selling novel. I honestly cannot wait for this film to be released. And have you heard the news? John announced on twitter that Paper Towns is also going to be adapted into a movie (and he will be directing! whatttt?!) Back to the review... Shaliene may soon be the biggest young
female actress in the film industry. (She's also in The Spectacular Now, which myself and my boyfriend really enjoyed)
The
premiere was held in the Leicester Square Odeon, London. (May I add, this was my first time ever visiting London... little country town girl visiting the big city). Kate Winslet was heard
being interviewed on the red carpet saying that the red carpet felt bigger than
the one at this year’s Baftas’. I was overwhelmed to be present at such a huge
event and to be so close to people I admired so much (more Veronica for me, more the singer from the Pussycat dolls for my bestfriend haha). Hundreds of fans surrounded the red carpet and the queue for ticket
holders was miles long. But the movie, was soooo worth the wait. It was inspirational to see so many people love a book,
the author and its characters so deeply. I felt in young adult fiction heaven.
People were
offered the chance to have the ‘fan experience’. This involved taking faction
tests, which exist in Divergent’s society. Actors dressed up to play the roles
of certain factions within the book, bringing the world to the fans. Unfortunately my boyfriend could not make the event (we would have totally acted like kids and joined in). I was with my best friend, who didn't want to take part, which is fair enough we are 19.
Those of us
who had tickets to the premiere of the movie walked the red carpet with the
actors (but unfortunately were unable to meet them) to get into the cinema. Here is our awesome walking-red-carpet-seflie:
We
were asked to pick a faction band out of: Divergent, Abnegation, Dauntless,
Amity, Erudite and Candour. These bands determined where we sat in the cinema. We chose to be Dauntless, the faction in which the main character (Tris) choses, and
this lead to getting high-fives from the Dauntless dress-up actors on the red
carpet. I don't believe I am Dauntless, but I guess I would like to be that brave, I'm more Amity to be honest.
When we got
inside, we found the factions were sectioned into seats and the seats had
t-shirts the colours of the factions on them. (free t-shirts!) Therefore as Dauntless I had a
black t-shirt.
Before the
movie began the director, Neil Burger came on to introduce the stars of the
movie and Veronica. It was a great atmosphere and being able to be so close to
an author I admired was inspirational. I wish I could have met her. The fans went wild for Veronica and the
stars.
Dystopian
is my favourite kind of young adult fiction and the Divergent series is the
best dystopian that I have read. Read my Divergent and Insurgent review here. (I plan to read Allegiant, a christmas present from my boyfriend, in the Easter holidays.) I therefore was extremely thrilled to attend
the premiere, but I went into the cinema with a lot of expectations.
The movie
adaptation did not disappoint. IT WAS AMAZING. I had read the book three years ago and watching
the movie was like reliving how I had interpreted the story within my head. It was incredible, I can't describe the feeling. The
movie really stays true to Veronica Roth’s novel, much to the appreciation of
Divergent fans and my appreciation!
I found the
actors fit the roles perfectly and that the soundtrack left me on the edge of
my seat for most of the film. (I now have some of the music, I loved the songs that much, they remind me of how I felt when I watched the film.) There were moments when I read the novel that
made me cry and the same emotions were felt, is not intensified when watching
the film. I did try not to cry in a room full of hundreds of strangers though.
I think for
those who have not read Divergent but go on to watch it in cinemas, after the
UK release on April 4th, will fall in love with the series too. I know most of you will be lovers of Divergent and I hope you have watched the film. This is defiantly one for the dvd collection when it comes out (and I don't own many dvd's). I
believe Divergent is a stronger dystopian than the Hunger Games and will go on to
achieve greater success.
GO DIVERGENT.
Thanks again to Harper Collins
for sending me there.
Thursday, April 03, 2014
EXODUS 2022: Blog Tour including authors TOP TEN TELEVISION SERIES
A big welcome to Kenneth G. Bennett as Exodus's blog tour stops here today.
Author: Kenneth G. Bennett
Genre: Sci-Fi Thriller (pre-apocalypse)
Audience: NA/Adult
Release date: May 20th, 2014
Publisher: Booktrope Publishing
Summary:
Joe Stanton is in agony. Out of his mind over the death of his young daughter. Or so it seems.
Unable to contain his grief, Joe loses control in public, screaming his daughter’s name and causing a huge scene at a hotel on San Juan Island in Washington State. Thing is, Joe Stanton doesn’t have a daughter. Never did. And when the authorities arrive they blame the 28-year-old’s outburst on drugs.
What they don’t yet know is that others up and down the Pacific coast—from the Bering Sea to the Puget Sound—are suffering identical, always fatal mental breakdowns.
With the help of his girlfriend—the woman he loves and dreams of marrying—Joe struggles to unravel the meaning of the hallucination destroying his mind. As the couple begins to perceive its significance—and Joe’s role in a looming global calamity—they must also outwit a billionaire weapons contractor bent on exploiting Joe’s newfound understanding of the cosmos, and outlast the time bomb ticking in Joe’s brain.
And now... Kenneth's Top Ten favourite television series. Do you have any in common with him? What series are on your Top Ten list?
1 Cosmos
2 Breaking Bad
3 The Simpsons
4 Monty Python's Flying Circus
5 Star Trek
6 Twilight Zone
7 Lost
8 24
9 Legend of Sleepy Hollow
10 Myth Busters
Kenneth G. Bennett is the author of the young adult novels, THE GAIA WARS and BATTLE FOR CASCADIA, and the new sci-fi thriller, EXODUS 2022. A wilderness enthusiast who loves backpacking, skiing and kayaking, Ken enjoys mysteries, science fiction, action adventure stories and, most especially, novels that explore the relationship between humans and the wild. He lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and son and two hyperactive Australian Shepherds.
THE GAIA WARS series was optioned for film by Identity Films, LA in 2012, and both GAIA and BATTLE have been featured as Top 100 Bestsellers in Teen Literature and Fiction on Amazon. Kirkus Reviews called THE GAIA WARS
“A solid first entry of a promising, imaginative new
young-adult fantasy series featuring a well-crafted character.”
GIVEAWAY
The giveaway is tour wide and includes these prizes:
A big thank you to Kenneth for stopping by at Words on The Shelf today for his book blog tour! Be sure to follow the rest of the tour, happy reading.
Book links:
Buy links:
Author links:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)